Training Log Archive: IanW

Cycle to Thornhill for lift to Summer Series

Summer Series at Park Wood, Bradenham. Take 1. Aim was to go off at a decent pace, keep in contact with the map, hit the controls cleanly and with flow. Well, it lasted 2 controls before going absolutely Per-shaped, mainly down to my distance judgement not working very well.

Big errors were at #3, slightly risky route but had big feature (steep bank/eathwall combo) to catch me and act as an attack. Except I picked up a slightly smaller, unmapped but obvious bank, with earthwall, about 100m too early. Picked the correct route choice but then missed #5 slightly, picked what should have been an obvious attack but, as in a number of places, the mapping of "thickets" was "interesting" and so drifted too far north. Then royally screwed up #6, plan was simple - pick the path off to the right when the track bends and goes downhill. Except did so 100m too early, through a clearing with a fairly obvious path in it, which turns out to be mapped as runnable woodland. Hmmm... and then was slightly confused by what greeted me path-wise, but thought would go with it, heading what I thought was NE but turned out to be more E, getting utterly confused before eventually picking up on a fenced enclosure. Really should have kept better contact with the map, the gullies that I saw on the ground would have made much better sense then. Relocation was absolutely terrible. I then looked at the rest of the course, and saw that the rest of the legs weren't nearly as challenging as the five I'd just done, so...

decided that I'd make my way back to near #1 to try again...

Time for take 2. Same route to #2, managing to pick up a bit more off the map this time and so cut in a bit later, seeing the flag. To #3 tried a different route and attack, along the path for a bit longer before cutting off to the big earthbank, to the originally intended attack/catch point and into the flag. Still nowhere near convinced about the map accuracy in that area. #4 tried to hit as straight as possible solely on a compass bearing, not too far off. Then took the other route to #5, which ended up primarily as bashing through holly. Hit the control spot on this time though, mainly because I knew that it was easy to drift. To #6 chose a different exit strategy, to the fence corner then up through the "white" amongst the holly. Hit the path junction spot on and the control was then simple. Very slight drift on the way to #7, although again from the map it makes no sense why I should have ended up there. and then #8 and the finish (really didn't think it worth doing the short final loop) were fine too. Much much better :)

and back down the hill to home from Thornhill

Various stretching/lunges/running etc before and after circuits

OUOC Circuits session, inside as weather is typical British summer i.e. raining and otherwise unpredictable. These sessions are slowly getting easier to manage :)

This evening at circuits we realised that there are likely to be enough people around at this time next year, without exams or such like, for an OUOC team at Jukola 2008. and maybe a Venla team too. Now that would be good :)

and the Harvester a month earlier would be a good warm-up!

C • Jukola 1